


Picture Perfect

by FridayFirefly



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette April 2020, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alya Césaire Ships It, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Lila Rossi Lies, Model Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:04:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23355112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FridayFirefly/pseuds/FridayFirefly
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng's life was nowhere near normal, but she had everything under control. She had gotten over her crush on Adrien, started a semi-successful online store for her designs, and was thriving as Ladybug.However, her control was anything but permanent. Just when Marinette was getting adjusted to her new normal, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pulled her right into chaos. Suddenly thrust head-first into the social media spotlight, Marinette finds herself having to navigate the complex world of the Parisian fashion industry, with only her boyfriend, Adrien Agreste at her side. The problem with that last bit - the only reason that she's dating Adrien in the first place is as a publicity stunt, and if anyone finds that out, than Marinette could lose everything that she's been working for in the fashion industry.In a new world of fake dating, photoshoots, and fashion shows, can Marinette become the picture perfect model that everyone expects her to be, or will she crack under the pressure and lose everything?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 22
Kudos: 117
Collections: Adrinette April 2020





	1. Photoshoot

**Author's Note:**

> **Written for Adrinette April Day 20: Photoshoot**

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's whole class is involved in a publicity photoshoot. Chloé and Lila try to ruin Marinette's day, but Adrien is there to be her knight in shining armor. Marinette makes an important decision, and has an amazing day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the tweets as an extra touch. They become more plot-essential in later chapter. I added them to chapter one mostly just for style!

Marinette Dupain-Cheng  
@MariDesigns   
I'm so excited to model clothes for the Gabriel brand today! 07:35 AM - 7 August 2019 3 35

"Marinette, I'm not sure that this photoshoot is the best idea. What if you need to transform but can't because you don't have your earrings with you?" Tikki worried.

Marinette shrugged as she fluttered around her room, packing everything she would need for the day into her purse. "I already asked, and I was told that I would be allowed to have my purse with me at all of the shooting locations, as long as it was out of the way. I won't have my earring in, but I will have them close-by the entire time."

"I still don't like that you won't have your Miraculous on you. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Remember what happened with Reflekdoll. Remember what a disaster that was!"

"Mister Bug and I still defeated the akuma, even if I was Lady Noire during the fight. Besides, that won't happen again because I came up with a better solution." Marinette took the earrings out of her ears. "Instead of having them in my ears, which will get in the way of the photoshoot, I'll attach them to my bra. That way, they'll be with me, out of the way, the whole time."

"That makes me feel a little better," admitted Tikki. "Won't that be uncomfortable for you, though?"

"It might be a little uncomfortable, but it won't be unbearable. Besides, I'd do anything to help ease your worry.

"Thank you, Marinette."

"Your welcome." Marinette glanced at the clock on her wall. "Now, I have to get going. I don't want to be late to my very first professional photo shoot."

Marinette entered into the lobby of the Gabriel building with only a few minutes to spare. She spotted Adrien and walked up to him with a smile on her face. She had made progress in talking to him over the past few years - her first year of collège, she was a stuttering mess. Now, about to enter her first year of lycée, she barely stumbled over her words at all around him.

“Hey, Adrien. Are you excited about the photoshoot?” asked Marinette.

“Sure,” said Adrien. "How about you."

Marinette smiled. “I’m super excited. I’m getting an inside look at the world of fashion modeling.”

Adrien smiled back. “I’m sure someday people like me will be modeling your designs.”

Marinette flushed. “I can only hope.”

“You’re extremely talented, Marinette. I’m certain that someday in the future I’ll be wearing _your_ designs at a photo shoot just like this one.”

In lieu of stammering out a 'thank you' to the compliment, Marinette glanced behind Adrien and saw that the director of the photoshoot had arrived. "Oh, Monsieur Perrin is here.”

“I’ve worked with him before. He’s one of my favorites. He lets the models call him Oscar.”

“Let’s go over before we get yelled at," said Marinette.

"Listen up, everyone," said Oscar. "I'm sure you all understand why you're here. Recent surveys conducted by Gabriel have revealed that the reason that the Gabriel brand isn't doing well with children is that it appears too polished to appeal to your age group. The "Not Just For Models" campaign is supposed to change that. By showing that Gabriel's clothes are designed for all people in mind - not just professional models - we hope that our sales will increase. Your class - sans Adrien - are the non-models of our photoshoot. So don't worry about being under-qualified - that's the reason why you're all here. Now, off to hair and makeup."

The class walked as a group to the building where the start of the photoshoot would be held. It was half indoors, half outdoors, with the whole next year of fashion involved. Adrien himself admitted that it was one of the largest photoshoots 

"Bye Adrien," Marinette said as she entered the girl's dressing room.

"See you in a bit, Marinette," Adrien replied.

Marinette squealed as soon as she was out of earshot of Adrien. "I can't believe I get to be in the same photoshoot as Adrien. It's like a dream come true."

"You're totally going to kill it out there," encouraged Alya as she sat down in one of the makeup chairs.

Marinette sat down in the chair next to Alya. "I hope so."

One of the stylists, smiling brightly as she walked over, introduced herself to Marinette. "Hello, my name is Rosalie, and I'll be doing your hair today."

"Hi, Rosalie. My name is Marinette." 

Rosalie reached to pull out Marinette's hairbows, and Marinette reflexively put a hand over them. 

"I prefer to keep my hair up."

"It's alright if you want your hair to be up in the photoshoot, as we were instructed to not do anything you're uncomfortable with. However, I do need to see what I'm working with."

"Okay," Marinette agreed as Rosalie pulled the hair bows out. 

Soft, dark hair flowed down over Marinette's shoulders, but Marinette refused to look at it. "Your hair is very soft," commented Rosalie as she ran a brush through the raven-colored hair. Marinette kept her eyes trained down at her lap. She hadn't worn her hair down in public in years, not since Chloé glued Marinette hair to the back of her chair back in primary school. Chloé hadn't gotten in trouble, even though it was entirely her fault. Marinette had to cut off five inches of hair, and ever since then, she wore her hair up. Space buns, french braids, pigtails - the style changed, but her hair was always kept up, out of danger. 

The sound of a squirt bottle interrupted Marinette from her concentrated ignorance. "This is just hair protection spray, to protect your hair from heat damage from the curling iron." Marinette kept her eyes down at her phone as Rosalie worked with the hair curler.

"Marinette, your hair looks so cute down," Alya complimented. 

Marinette finally looked at herself in the mirror. Her sleek, dark hair flowed over her shoulders. She looked more mature - Chloé had always been critical of Marinette's pigtails, telling her that she looked like a toddler. With her hair down and curled to perfection, Marinette looked older, more like a university student than like a lycée student.

"It's... It looks really nice," Marinette admitted.

"Would you be willing to leave it down like this for the photoshoot?" asked Rosalie.

Marinette furrowed her brow as she thought it over. On one hand, she had sworn to herself years ago that as long as Chloé - or any bully - was in her class, she would wear her hair up, to keep it safe. She loved her hair too much to have to cut it all off again. On the other hand, her hair was beautiful, and she wanted others to see it too. She didn't exactly look like a model, but she looked much more model-worthy than before. Besides, did she really want her childish pigtails immortalized forever through the photoshoot? This was her chance to prove herself to the fashion world, she didn't want to look like an immature little kid. "I like it," said Marinette. "I think I'll wear it down for the photo shoot."

Rosalie smiled. "Wonderful. Now I'll move onto makeup, and then you'll go to wardrobe to get dressed and have any last-minute alterations made."

As Rosalie did her makeup, Marinette eagerly anticipated getting to talk to the designers of the clothes while she got fitted. Someday, she hoped that she would be a designer at a big photoshoot like this, fitting her creations to the bodies of the models so that the whole world could see her fashion creations.

"Hold still," said Rosalie as she brushed mascara onto Marinette's eyelashes. 

More cream and powder was brushed onto Marinette's face until Rosalie finally instructed. "Now close your eyes and hold your breath while I apply the setting spray."

Marinette did as she was told, and felt the spray's mist hit her face. She kept her eyes closed as she waited for it to dry, then opened them back up.

"Done," announced Rosalie.

Marinette looked at her reflection in the mirror and gasped. She looked stunning. Dark eyeliner and pink blush - Marinette still looked like herself, but everything was enhanced.

"Alright, now off to wardrobe for you," said Rosalie. "If you need any touch-ups during the shoot, just come to me. I put some product in to keep your hair from getting frizzy, and the setting spray I just used should keep your make-up in place. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," said Marinette, hopping out of the chair. "Thank you, Rosalie."

"Thank you, Marinette, for being such a wonderful model. You have much better manners than most models I've had to work with. They complain about every little thing."

"I'm not really a complainer. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Marinette."

Marinette walked to wardrobe and found the garment bag with her name on it. She went to pull it off the rack when she was intercepted by a designer.

"No touching. Leave it to the professionals," the designer scolded.

"Oh, sorry," apologized Marinette, anxiety blossoming in her chest. She had just messed up in front of one of the designers - potentially one of her coworkers if all went well. "I don't know the protocol around here."

"Of course you don't, and you aren't expected to. We're well aware that none of you are trained models. Just follow our lead, and you'll do fine." The pep talk sounded rehearsed, but it still soothed Marinette's nerves.

"Okay. Well, I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Helena Benoit. You can call me Helena, I don't particularly care for formalities. In this setting. I'll be fitting you into your clothes today. Now, follow me back into the dressing room and I'll get you ready for the shoot."

Marinette followed Helena back into the dressing room. Helena pulled out of the garment bag a soft cable-knit taupe sweater, a black knee-length skirt, and a pair of black combat boots. 

"The first segment of the shoot is for the autumn collection. We'll take the indoor shots, then move outdoors. Then we'll move onto the winter shoot, which will be taken indoors. To give the illusion of it actually being winter, we use fake snow and green screens, along with pink makeup on your nose and ears, to give the illusion of the cold. After that, we'll stop for your lunch break. The models will all go back to hair and makeup for touchups. Then we'll move onto the spring shoot, indoors and outdoors, then the summer shoot, indoors and outdoors. Last but not least, will be the shots for the formalwear catalog. All of the photos taken today will be used in the Gabriel catalog, which comes out every year on January 1st."

"But..." Marinette calculated in her head. "That's almost five months away."

"It takes a while to get the photos edited and to put together the catalog. There's the physical copy of the catalog, as well as an entire online catalog that has to be made as well. It's a very intense process. Rome wasn't built in a day, and all. For Gabriel, building Rome is a year-round process. As soon as we finish one year's Rome, the next year's Rome is there to take its place."

Marinette nodded her head. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Now get changed into your outfit. And don't you dare tear or stretch anything. If you have trouble getting something on, just call for assistance."

Marinette very delicately changed into the skirt and sweater. They fit like a glove, which made sense - everything had been made according to the measurements that had been taken three months earlier.

"Does it look alright?" asked Marinette as soon as she stepped out of the dressing room. 

Helena circled her, examining it. "Everything fits, which is good. I don't think you'll need any adjustments. Now take it off - _carefully_ \- and try on the second autumn outfit."

The second autumn outfit was an off-white blouse, a charcoal gray cardigan, and a pair of black jeans, along with black flats and a silver necklace. Marinette knew that there was no way she would get to keep the clothes that she was modeling, but she desperately wished that she could. Gabriel was one of her favorite fashion brands, and the clothes were more chic than anything she ever made.

"How does it look?" Marinette asked.

Helena smiled. "It looks good on you, Marinette. Now come with me. It's time for you to see what modeling is all about."

Marinette followed Helena to the room where the autumn indoor pictures were to be shot. There were three different "rooms" if you could call them that. One was set up to look like a school library, one was a café, and one was a bedroom.

"Marinette," Alya called out. "Come over here and show everyone your new hair."

Marinette self-consciously reached for her hair but stopped before she messed it up. "Bye, Helena."

"Do you guys like it?" Marinette asked nervously.

"Like it? We love it!" cheered Rose, wearing an olive-green shirt, blue jeans, and a gray beanie.

"Your hair looks really cute down," said Juleka, her violet bangs pulled up away from her eyes. She was dressed in a gray sweater dress and black leggings.

"Marinette?" Adrien's voice asked from behind her. "I've never seen you with your hair down before."

Marinette turned around to face him, blushing slightly. "Surprise?" She said hesitantly. "Do you like it?"

"It looks... _wow_. It looks amazing. You should wear it down more often."

"Really? You think so?"

"I do. I think it looks really good on you. With that hair, you should be the professional model, not me."

Marinette laughed. "I would never make it in the modeling world. According to my very talented hairstylist, Rosalie, I'm not whiney enough to be a proper model."

Adrien winced slightly. "Trust me, Marinette, it would be a blessing to have less whiney models to deal with. I can't count the number of times that I've had a shoot postponed for half an hour because some model didn't like the way their hair looked or refused to let their designer make an alteration because 'there's no way I gained weight in the past three weeks'. It gets pretty exhausting. Having someone like you on set would be a breath of fresh air."

Marinette blushed even harder. "If you say so."

"Everyone gather 'round," Oscar announced. "Now that all of our models are ready, it's time to start the shoot."

"Good luck, Marinette," whispered Adrien.

Marinette smiled. "Thank you. I know you don't need it, but good luck to you too, Adrien."

Marinette's first experience in modeling was with Adrien, Alix, and Kim in the fake school library. Marinette was posed sitting on top of the table, with Adrien in the chair next to her. A prop textbook was laid out in front on Marinette, Adrien had his own prop notebook and pen. It was supposed to look like they were studying, which didn't make sense to Marinette. If she and Adrien were really studying, she would be in the seat next to him, not perched up on the table. Though she had to admit, it was better than what Alix had to go through. The way she and Kim were posed, Kim was "helping" her get a book off of a high shelf. Alix had already been scolded twice for scowling, and Kim wasn't making it any better, teasing her about her height every time Oscar turned around.

"Everyone relax, please release the tension from your shoulders, Alix. One... Two... Three... Hold your positions... One... Two... Three..."

Marinette kept a reserved smile on her face, trying to pretend that she was just studying with a friend. She kept in her mind that it was just any other day at school, even though it was actually August, and school wouldn't be starting up for another three weeks.

"Good. Kim and Alix, you can leave the set. Adrien, Marinette, you two stay there and I'll get some close-up shots."

Marinette breathed out nervously. Adrien put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "Don't worry Marinette. Just act natural."

"Just act natural," Marinette echoed.

"Alright. Marinette, you are helping Adrien with his..." Oscar flipped to the cover of the textbook. "Biology homework."

Marinette stared down at the textbook, gesturing at one of the diagrams. She kept a slight smile on her face, trying to convey that she enjoyed helping her friends.

"Marinette, tilt your body more towards the camera. Cross your legs at the ankles, not at the knees Adrien, eyes on Marinette. Good, good. One... Two... Three..."

"Alright, Adrien and Marinette, you two have good chemistry together. I want you two to stick together for duo shots, okay."

"Sure thing, Oscar," replied Adrien.

Marinette's brain froze for a second. She and Adrien had good chemistry together. She and Adrien would be taking pictures together all day. "O-Okay," Marinette stammered.

"Good, now you move over to the bedroom set. I'm going to take a few more pictures at the library. Then I'll move the camera over to the bedroom set. We'll do a group shot there, then a couple of duo and trio shots. Then we'll move to the café scene. Alright?"

"Alright," Marinette responded, still dazed from Oscar's comment. She hadn't quite processed the situation yet.

Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand and led her over to one of the couches by the back wall. "They have these here for the model breaks. You look like you might need to sit down for a minute."

"Maybe just a minute," agreed Marinette. "Do they have any water?" 

"Yeah, they have bottles in the back room. I'll go grab one for you." Adrien disappeared through a doorway. Marinette collapsed onto the couch, sinking into the couch cushions. She was so used to things in her life turning out wrong, that she felt uncomfortable with the way that everything that day had turned out perfectly. Her hair and makeup looked perfect, none of her outfits needed altered, she got to be in pictures with Adrien - it was like a dream come true.

"Dupain-Cheng." Chloé Bourgeoise's nasally voice distracted Marinette from her thoughts. "You must think you're _so_ special just because you get to take pictures with Adrien. Well, I'm sure that once Gabriel Agreste sees the final pictures, he'll be utterly horrified that Oscar put someone like _you_ next to Adrien, an actual model. He'll have to redo the shots, and I'm sure he'll bring me in to retake them because Adrien and I are such good friends."

"Go away, Chloé," sighed Marinette.

"Oh, no. Am I hurting your feelings?" Chloé taunted. "You look utterly ridiculous with your hair down like that. You should go back to pigtails, that way everyone knows how childish and immature you are."

"Chloé." Adrien's voice was cold. "I think you should apologize to Marinette."

"Wha- Adrien, I didn't see you come back," Chloé sounded nervous. "I was just talking with Marinette and-"

"Apologize, Chloé. Then leave Marinette and I alone."

"I don't have to say anything to Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Now." 

There was something in Adrien's voice, something hard and unyielding, that brought Chloé to stammer out, "I'm very sorry, Dupain-Cheng." She then scurried back to the other students without even a single backward glance.

"What was that all about?" asked Marinette, slightly concerned at Adrien's change of attitude.

Adrien flushed. "My Father has been training me to take over the company someday. He taught me how to do that - how to talk and make people listen to you. It's not something I would normally do, but I hate the thought of people bullying you. Especially after everything that happened with Lila..."

Marinette kept her eyes trained down at her hands. She was still upset about her near-suspension at the end of last school year. Although Marinette hadn't been expelled in the end, as Lila had come forward, admitting to having a "lying disease" (and Marinette still wasn't quite sure what caused Lila to come forward to the administration. At first, Marinette hoped that Lila had simply come to her senses, but Lila's grudge against Marinette hadn't faded in the least) Marinette still felt hurt by the fact that the administration was willing to suspend her on circumstantial evidence alone, without even bothering to check the video cameras.

"Here's your water, by the way."

"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette gave him a strained smile. "I'd just rather not talk about Lila." Marinette opened the bottle and took a long drink of water, careful not to smudge her lipstick.

"Could I ask you a question?" asked Adrien.

"Sure."

"How come you never wear your hair down? I've known you for three whole years now, and today is the first time I've ever seen it down."

"When I was eight years old, Chloé glued my hair to the back of my chair. I nearly ripped it all out of my scalp when I tried to stand up to go to lunch. It hurt so bad I sobbed until my Mom came to get me. My teacher had to cut my hair off to free me - I lost five inches of hair that day. I was traumatized, but Chloé didn't get in trouble. She never gets in trouble."

"I'm sorry that that happened to you," said Adrien. "You look very pretty with your hair down, by the way."

Marinette blushed, but managed to hide it with a well-timed drink of water. "Thank you."

"Adrien, Marinette, get back here for the bedroom photos," Oscar called out.

Adrien and Marinette got back to the bedroom set just as Oscar was posing the students for the class picture.

"Alright, the whole class is hanging out at Sabrina's house after school. Sabrina, Chloé, and Max, you three are all sitting on the bed, playing some sort of card game. Alya in the desk chair and Nino is sitting on the desk behind her. Marinette, you sit upon the windowsill, and Adrien, you stand beside her, you two will be talking to Alya and Nino, just having a friendly conversation. Kim, you, Nathanial, and Alix are all bringing in snacks. Ivan, Mylène, Rose, and Juleka, you four are on the floor in the foreground, working on homework. Is everyone in position?"

The whole class chorused "Yes" and Oscar started taking pictures. "Now remember everybody - you're _happy_ to be here. Some smiles - not like you know your picture is being taken, but like you're having a good time with friends. Good, good. One... Two... Three... And I think we've gotten enough pictures of the whole group. Now I want Juleka and Rose, you two stay. Sabrina, Chloé, and Max, you three stay as well. Everyone else can move on to the café set."

Adrien pulled out one of the café chairs for Marinette. "Take a seat. It'll take a couple of minutes for Oscar to get the shots he wants, and knowing Chloé, she'll cause as many delays as possible."

Marinette's lips twitched upwards into a smile. "Chloé does love causing problems."

Adrien sighed. "You got that right. I've known her for years - my Father despises her, but he has to stay in Audrey Bourgeoise's good graces if he wants anything positive written about him in _Style Queen_. So I have to suck it up and pretend to tolerate Chloé's presence."

"That sounds exhausting," noted Marinette.

"It can be. Usually, Chloé is somewhat perceptive of how far is too far, but around you, but sometimes I have to remind her of where the line is. I have to make sure she knows that our friendship isn't guaranteed. If she wants to be friends with me, she has to play nice with my friends, which includes you."

"I'm glad we're friends," said Marinette. "I'm glad that you transferred into my class, even if it means that you had to put up with Chloé."

Adrien smiled, and Marinette felt warm inside.

"It's a shame that Lila couldn't come to the photoshoot," commented Alya as she sat down next to Marinette. "It would be nice to have another experienced model around to give us pointers." 

Marinette frowned, pretending to be upset. "It's such a shame that her vacation to the Bahamas couldn't be rescheduled."

Marinette was certain that if Lila could have found a way to lie her way back into the photoshoot she would have, but she had managed to lie herself into a corner. It started in January when Mylène scheduled their class to help build a new community garden months in advance. However, to gain Mylène's trust, Lila had already lied about being very involved in building community gardens and other green spaces. If she showed up to help build, it would be obvious to the whole class that Lila had lied about her extensive list of community service. So Lila created a week-long trip to the Bahamas, a trip that her mother refused to let Lila reschedule. When the news broke that their class was chosen to be the models for the new Agreste photoshoot, there was nothing that Lila could do. If she pretended that her vacation had gotten rescheduled, she would be forced to help the class build the community garden, revealing her lie about being an experienced builder. So Lila skipped the photoshoot in its entirety. Over video chat, Lila pretended that it didn't bother her, but Marinette could see the anger hidden in Lila's eyes. It angered Lila to no end that her lies had, for once, placed her at the disadvantage.

"Well, there will be other opportunities for Lila to model. Besides, the photoshoot is meant to feature non-models at the forefront."

"You're right," said Alya. "And I'm sure Lila is enjoying herself at the beach right now. I'll call her later tonight, but right now we have to focus on modeling."

Marinette nodded, a genuine smile on her face. Lila _wasn't_ at the beach right now. She was probably holed up in her bedroom, fuming at the idea of Adrien at a photo shoot without her.

"On to the café shots," announced Oscar. "I want Ivan and Mylène on this side of the café table, and Adrien and Marinette on the other side. You four are on a double date."

"Ridiculous!" Chloé snapped. "As if Adrien would _ever_ date someone as utterly _lame_ as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Put me in the shot, not _her_."

"Miss Bourgeoise," Oscar sounded fed up. "If you cannot behave yourself, I will have to ask you to leave the photo shoot."

"But-"

"Please cease your interruptions, and allow me to do my job."

Chloé huffed angrily but didn't speak another word. 

"Alright, back to the shoot. Ivan and Mylène and Adrien and Marinette are all on a double date. Everyone make sure that your prop coffee is in front of you. You're all talking to each other, having a good time on your double date. Ivan, angle your body towards the camera a little more. Good, good. The date is going well, everyone is smiling. One... Two... Three... Excellent! Our couples look very lovely together."

Adrien and Marinette left the set as Oscar pulled Alya, Nino, Nathanial, and Alix up to be a part of the second set of photos, a group study session.

"Did you hear that," joked Adrien, "We make a lovely couple."

Marinette laughed, pretending that she found the concept just as ridiculous as Adrien seemed to find it. On the inside, her heart fluttered to a stop. Everyone seemed to see how well she and Adrien worked together - everyone but Adrien, that is. No matter what Marinette did, he only ever seemed to see her as a friend.

"I guess that means you're my boyfriend now," Marinette joked through the hurt. "And as my boyfriend, your first job is to go fetch me my water."

"Sure thing." Adrien started to walk away.

Marinette collapsed into a chair next to Alya as soon as Adrien was out of earshot. "Is it just me, or is Adrien possibly the most oblivious boy on the planet. 'We make a lovely couple.' He says it like it's the most outlandish thing in the world."

Nino shook his head. "Adrien is a little hopeless when it comes to romance. I'll try to talk some sense into him in the dressing rooms."

Marinette gave Nino a weak smile. "Thanks, Nino, but I'm beginning to think that this whole this is hopeless."

Alya gasped. "But you've had a crush on Adrien for three years. You can't give up now."

"I'm not giving up. I'm just changing my priorities. My friendship with Adrien is important for me, more important than my silly collège crush. I'll put our friendship first, and if that's all we end up being, I'll treasure our friendship more than anything in the world, the way I treasure my friendships with all of you."

"Aw, you're such a sweetheart, Marinette," said Alya, wrapping Marinette up in a hug. "And don't worry - I'll find you a rebound crush."

Marinette giggled, pushing Alya off of her. "No rebounds. I've had enough romance drama. I need a detox."

"What are we detoxing from?" Adrien asked, returning with water for all four of them.

"Social media," Alya lied, putting her improv skills to the test. "Marinette spent all day yesterday on Instagram when she should have been working on a new design project. I'm thinking we should all take a social media detox in September. New school year, new good habits."

"Yep," Marinette agreed. "If I'm going to have a new wardrobe made in time for the start of the school year, I have to stop procrastinating and start sewing."

"A whole new wardrobe. That's rather ambitious," Adrien noted.

"Now that we're moving from collège to lycée, I want a more mature look. No more glitter and sequins. I want to be taken seriously as a designer, despite my age. Plus, I'm planning on entering some of my creations into design contests. I have a whole notebook full of new ideas, I just need to get them off the page and onto my mannequin."

"Well, I'll check with my Father to see if we currently have any design competitions open to lycée students."

"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette said brightly.

"No problem. Anything for a friend."

"Children, listen up," Oscar called. "Everyone back to the dressing rooms to change into your second autumn outfit. Then we'll head outside for the outdoor shots."

"See you later boys," Alya said, grabbing Marinette's hand and pulling her towards the dressing rooms.

"Thanks for the water," Marinette called out as she was pulled away by Alya.

"I know you said no rebound boys," said Alya as soon as the dressing room door closed behind them. "But Nino has a really cute cousin named-"

Marinette shook her head. "No. I'm still not completely over Adrien. I'm just putting my crush on him on hold so that it doesn't completely ruin our friendship. He's into Kagami way more than me, anyway."

"Ugh, Kagami," Alya groaned.

"She's nice once you get to know her," Marinette defended. "Kagami just isn't great at communicating. She's very reserved."

Alya smiled. "You're too nice, Marinette."

Marinette shook her head. " _You're_ too nice, complimenting me all the time. Anyways, no more boy talk, we have to get dressed."

Marinette quickly found Helena and got changed into the sweater and skirt. "Does it still look good?"

Helena pursed her lips. "I need to call someone in for a second opinion. I think your outfit could use an accessory or two."

Helena left the room, and Marinette used her time alone to get a good look at her outfit in the mirror. As a design exercise, Marinette wanted to see if she could predict what the designers would recommend her to accessorize with. Definitely gold over silver. Not a bracelet or watch, as the sleeves of the sweater would cover it. Maybe an earring and necklace combo. Small gold ring earrings, and some layered gold necklaces, perhaps with a simple charm like a leaf on one of them, to represent autumn.

"Let me get a good look at her." Marinette recognized the man who walked into her dressing room. Clément Leroux was the head of Gabriel's design department and one of Marinette's biggest inspirations. He examined Marinette for a moment, then responded, "I agree, her outfit could use an accessory."

Marinette took a deep breath, and without overthinking it, took her chance. "Could I suggest the accessories. I'm an aspiring designer myself."

M. Leroux looked at Marinette with interest in his gaze. "Let me see what you've got."

"Small gold stud earrings and three gold necklaces, layered on top of each other. The one in the middle should have some sort of small charm or design on it, to draw attention to it and the sweater."

M. Leroux nodded. "I like what your thinking Marinette. It was very similar to what I was planning, though I would go with small ring earrings, rather than studs. You have a good eye for design, for your age."

Marinette smiled at the praise. "Thank you. I actually won a Gabriel design contest two years ago. My hat was featured in his fashion show last year."

M. Leroux narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "You must be Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, then. I remember your hat well - I designed the suit that Adrien wore while modeling it."

Marinette's eyes widened. "That suit was _amazing_. It looked so good on Adrien."

"Thank you for the praise, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng."

"You can call me Marinette," Marinette offered.

"I think I'll stick to your last name. We'll leave the first-name basis for when we're co-workers." M. Leroux smiled at Marinette. "After all, I believe that you have a lot of potential. You're talented enough to land a designer job at Gabriel after you graduate from university. I know for a fact that M. Agreste already has his eye on you."

"O-Okay," Marinette stammered, suddenly overwhelmed.

"I'm going to go acquire your jewelry. I hope you have a good rest of your day here, Marinette."

"Thank you," Marinette said.

Marinette overheard M. Leroux start talking to Helena as they left the dressing room together. "I do wish M. Agreste would consider switching models. I would much prefer to work with young Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng over that _salope_ , Lila Rossi."

Helena came back a minute later with the jewelry and Marinette put it on. Helena helped her to get the necklaces to layer correctly - Marinette noticed that the design on the middle necklace was a gold oak leaf.

"Much better," said Helena. "Now off you go for the outdoor shots. I'm sure everyone is waiting for you."

Marinette hurried out to the courtyard, where the class was being posed against a stone wall. "Just pretend that you're talking to your friends - but don't forget to angle your bodies towards the camera so that we can see the outfits. Marinette, you go stand by Adrien."

Marinette quickly got into place next to Adrien. "It's a little warm for autumn clothes," Marinette commented. 

Adrien tugged a bit on the collar of his sweater. "Well, the sooner we get done with these shots, the sooner we can go back inside, into the air conditioning."

"Everyone relax the tension from your shoulders. One... Two... Three... Good. You can all relax, except for Marinette and Adrien. You two come with me, and we'll get a shot under this tree." Oscar gestured to a big magnolia tree, branches full of white blossoms. There was a stone bench underneath it, covered with a dusting of white petals. "You two sit down next to each other. Adrien, put your arm around her shoulder. Marinette, hands in your lap, lean your head against his shoulder."

Marinette did as Oscar said, gentle setting her head against Adrien's shoulder.

"One... Two... Three... Perfect! You two look adorable together. Now I want Rose and Juleka."

Adrien stood up and offered Marinette his hand, pulling her to her feet. Marinette resisted the urge to stammer out her appreciation, instead responding with a curt, "Thanks." Why was it that as soon as she tried to put her crush behind her, the whole world - and Adrien himself - seemed determined to show her what a good couple they would make.

"Let me show you around the courtyard," Adrien offered. "It's particularly nice in the summertime."

"Sure," Marinette agreed, and they started along the stone path. It was a perfect summer day and the courtyard was beautiful. The air was warm and had the gentle perfume of flower petals. Trees full of flower blossoms, fountains with crystal-clear water, birds flying overhead - it reminded Marinette of why summer was her favorite season. 

Adrien had a bemused smile on his face. "I always knew that Oscar was a bit of a matchmaker - he's tried to turn models into couples before - but this is getting a little out of hand."

"What do you mean."

Adrien looked incredulous. "Surely you've noticed that Oscar has been trying to set us up. He's been pretty heavy-handed about it."

Marinette shrugged. "I figured that he was just messing with us. I didn't realize that he had a specific goal."

"Oscar has tried to set me up with other models before. It's never worked, though. My Father would never allow it. I doubt I'll date anyone until I turn eighteen, and even then, it would have to be someone that my Father approved of. He's very protective, both over me and over the company's image."

"What about Kagami? Your Father seems to approve of her."

Adrien shook his head. "Neither of us are interested in each other romantically. Our parents wanted us to start a relationship, but it was mutually decided that nothing was going to happen."

"Oh." Marinette tried to turn the conversation back in a hopeful direction. "Maybe you'll meet someone at our new lycée. Someone who you like, and who likes you back. Someone who your Father approves of."

"Maybe," said Adrien. "It's a nice fantasy, anyways. And even if I don't find romance, at least I'll have my friends."

"Yeah," agreed Marinette. "You'll always have your friends."

"Marinette! Adrien!" Alya jogged down the path. "It's time to get changed into our winter outfits."

"Thanks for taking me through the gardens," said Marinette.

"Sure," said Adrien. "That's what friends are for."

The winter, spring, and summer shoots passed by in a blur, with Marinette and Adrien got placed together in all sorts of poses. Marinette desperately tried to push away her feelings towards Adrien. He had made it clear in the courtyard that he wasn't interested in a relationship with her. Even if he had feelings for her, his Father would never approve of someone as clumsy and plain as Marinette.

"Are you ready for the last segment of the photoshoot?" asked Alya as soon as they both changed out of their final summer outfits. "I'm excited to try on my formal outfit."

"Sure," Marinette said through a yawn. "I'm glad they're giving us an hour break beforehand, though. I need a coffee, and Oscar says that I should get my hair and makeup touched up."

"There's a café in the lobby of the Gabriel Building. I'll come with you and we can both get lattes."

"Sounds good," Marinette perked up. The girls made their way to the café, chatting about the photo shoot so far. 

There was no line when they got to the café, so Marinette and Alya got to order immediately. "I'll have a cinnamon latte and Marinette will have..."

"A caramel latte, please."

As the girls waited for their orders, Marinette explained to Alya what had happened earlier in the dressing rooms. Marinette still couldn't believe that _Clément Leroux_ thought that she had potential.

"Wow. Gabriel's _head designer_ thinks that you're good enough to work at Gabriel someday. That's big, Marinette."

"I know," Marinette smiled. "This day has been pretty good for me, all things considered. I just hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that."

The two girls finished their drinks and went back to the dressing rooms. Marinette glanced around, trying to find Rosalie to get her hair and makeup fixed up. Finally, she caught sight of familiar white-blonde hair. "Rosalie!"

"Hello, Marinette," Rosalie greeted brightly. "You look like you're due for a touch-up."

Marinette smiled. "Exactly what I was thinking."

Rosalie re-curled Marinette's hair, then re-applied Marinette's makeup for the formal shoot. "Now off you go, Marinette. I glanced at your formal dress a little bit ago - it's gorgeous. You should go see."

Marinette smiled. "I'm sure it's beautiful. Bye, Rosalie."

Marinette found her way back to her dressing room, where Helena was typing away on her laptop. "I'm back."

"You're five minutes late," Helena complained as she got the dress out of the garment bag. "I'll have you know, this dress took me weeks and weeks to make, so you'd better appreciate it."

Marinette's eyes widened as she saw the dress. It was a masterpiece of dark blue tulle, with delicate tulle flowers cascading down the front. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Marinette was awestruck by the dress. She put it slowly, carefully not to tear or stretch the delicate fabric. She was well aware that this dress was the most extravagant thing she had ever worn. 

Once she got the dress on, Marinette didn't even stop to look at herself in the mirror. "How do I look?" Marinette asked as soon as she opened the dressed room door.

Helena gave Marinette a rare smile. "The dress looks perfect on you. See for yourself."

Marinette turned to the full-length mirror, her eyes immediately fixated on the dress. Tiny pink and white tulle flowers decorated the left side of the dress, from her shoulder down past her waist. The dark blue tulle skirt flowed softly around Marinette's legs. The off the shoulder neckline completed the dress. Then, Marinette's attention turned to herself, rather than just to the dress. She had never considered herself attractive before, but wearing Helena's dress made her see herself in a new light. Her blue of the dress combined with Rosalie's makeup made her blue eyes stand out. The off the shoulder neckline revealed her delicate collarbones, and her black curls of hair flowed around her shoulders. Marinette was stunned. Although she still looked like herself, she also looked like a model.

"This dress is a work of art," Marinette gushed, smiling brightly at Helena.

"I'm glad you like it," Helena responded. "Now put on your shoes-" She gestured to a pair of dark blue stiletto heels. "And get back to the photo shoot."

"Thanks for everything, Helena. I'll see you after the formal shoot."

Marinette slipped the heels on and started walking towards the lobby. She was a bit wobbly in the heels at first, but it only took a little bit of practice before she felt confident that she wouldn't fall. The formal shoot was the only part of the photoshoot that took place outside of the Gabriel building. It was shot in Gabriel Agreste's own home, in his own ballroom, so Marinette's class would have to be driven there.

"Marinette, you look amazing," said Adrien, walking up behind Marinette.

"Thank you. You look great as well," Marinette complimented. He wore a dark blue suit with a dark blue bowtie, and his hair was even more tamed down than usual.

"Thanks. Do you know where Alya and Nino are? I was going to invite you three to ride with me in my car, on the way to the mansion."

"I think that they're in the lobby already. I didn't see Alya in the dressing rooms."

Once they got to the lobby Adrien found Nino and Alya, and all four went out to Adrien's car. Marinette complimented both Alya and Nino's outfits. Alya was wearing an elegant dark red gown, and Nino was in a black suit with a red bow tie that matched Alya's dress. Marinette spent the five-minute car ride examining the fabric and the stitching on Alya's dress.

"These dresses are gorgeous," Marinette sighed. "I wish I could keep mine, but wouldn't get much use out of it, even if I could. I'd be too afraid that I'd ruin it to wear it."

When they arrived at the Agreste Mansion, Oscar and the rest of the crew escorted the class to the ballroom. Marinette gazed around with wide eyes, amazed by the marble floor, the intricately designed stonework around the room, and the massive Cinderella staircase leading down into the room.

"It's a pretty cool room, right," said Adrien. "I used to come down here, when I was younger, and slide around the room in my socks."

Marinette giggled, "That sounds like fun."

"Everybody listen up," Oscar interrupted, "I'm going to come around and position all of you. Adrien and Marinette, you two will be coming down the staircase. Juleka and Rose, you two will be over by the punch bowl. Kim and Alix, you two will be..."

Marinette tuned Oscar out as Adrien led her over to the staircase. They got into position about half-way down the stairs, Adrien holding one of Marinette's hands.

"So what do you think of modeling?" Adrien asked. "Do you like it."

"It's a lot of fun, doing it with my friends, and I've learned a lot about fashion designing behind the scenes. I don't think I could do this every day, though. I've only been here for a few hours, and I'm already exhausted of being told that I need to relax my shoulders."

"It can get tiring, especially if modeling isn't your passion."

"I know that you're interested in biology and physics. Is that what you're passionate about."

Adrien nodded. "I never wanted to model professionally; it was always just a hobby for me. Science and technology are what I'm really passionate about."

"That's super cool. You should tell me more about it when we're not busy with the photo shoot." Marinette wasn't lying about her interest - she loved listening to her friends talk about the things they're passionate about.

The day had been going well up to that point, not a single thing to ruin Marinette's good mood. However, in Marinette's world, it seemed that no day could be perfect. "Everyone! I made it!"

Marinette froze. That was the voice of _Lila Rossi,_ the girl who seemed hell-bent on ruining every one of Marinette's good days.

Lila walked down the stairs, brushing her hand against Adrien's as she passed. "The beach was a lot of fun, but the humid coastal air was causing my asthma to flare up so my Mother sent me home early. My plane just landed twenty minutes ago. I was exhausted, but I rushed straight over here so that I could support you guys at your photoshoot. It isn't over, is it?"

"Nope," chirped Alya. "You made it just in time to watch the formal shoot."

"Could I join?" Lila turned to Oscar with wide, pleading eyes. "Oh, _please_ can I join."

Oscar shook his head. "We don't have a formal outfit for you to wear."

Lila's face fell, "That's a shame." Suddenly her expression brightened back up again. "I know! I could borrow someone else's formal outfit. Marinette and I are about the same size, and she's already had a chance to model today, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Oscar hesitated. "I'm not so sure about that."

"I'm already a trained model." Lila pressed further.

"The color wouldn't suit you..." Oscar seemed reluctant, but Marinette could already tell that he was going to give in. Lila was going to wear Marinette's dress. She was going to take Marinette's spot next to Adrien. Tears pricked at the corners of Marinette's eyes. Lila _always_ got her way, and Marinette _always_ ended up miserable because of it.

"Wait!" Adrien interjected. "I don't think this is a good idea. The catalog wouldn't look right if we replaced a model in only one segment of the shoot." 

"Don't you want me in the shoot?" Lila pulled some fake tears to the corners of her eyes.

"I just don't want my Father to get angry and fire you. Then we would never get to model together again."

"But-"

"Besides, you'll have loads more opportunities to model with me. This might be Marinette's only chance to experience it."

"I suppose you're right, Adrien." Lila must have realized that her manipulation wasn't going to get her any further. "I'll just support you all from the sidelines, all by myself."

Although Marinette held no fondness for Lila, she still felt a stab of pity for her. Pretending to go on a tropical vacation for two weeks meant that Lila spent the last two weeks locked away at home, lest her classmates find out she lied. 

"I'm sorry about Lila," whispered Adrien. "I thought she was going to be nicer to you after I spoke with her last spring, but she doesn't seem to be getting better."

"What do you mean 'you spoke to her last spring?'" asked Marinette.

"Oh, I assumed that Lila had told you. That time she lied to Principal Damocles to reverse your suspension - it was because I threatened to end our acquaintanceship if she didn't."

"Really? You did that for me?"

"Of course. You're one of my best friends, Marinette. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Marinette's smile was so bright it must have lit up the room. "Thank you."

"Perfect, perfect!" Oscar interrupted. "Marinette, keep smiling like that. Adrien, keep your eyes on her. One... Two... Three... Perfect!"

Out of the corner of her eyes, Marinette caught a glimpse of Lila scowled by the punch table, filling her cup with the bright red liquid. However, when Lila turned around, her expression was serene. "Everyone, I'm sorry to say that I have to leave early. I forgot that I planned a dinner with Clara Nightengale tonight, if I remember, I'll ask for backstage passes for our whole class for her next concert. My memory has been on the fritz lately, ever since my last concussion, so I can't promise that I'll remember, but I'll try my best."

"I'm sorry you have to leave so soon," said Rose.

"Don't worry about the backstage passes." Alya set her hand on Lila's shoulder in a comforting manner. "You just focus on having fun with Clara."

"You're all too nice," Lila smiled, walking towards the stairs.

Marinette didn't recognize what was happening until it was too late. Lila walked up the stairs past her, malice in her eyes, bright red, stainable punch in the cup in her hands. Lila's foot caught on the step and the plastic cup went flying out of her hands. 

Marinette tried to back up, but her three-inch heels combined with the steep nature of the stairs meant that she wasn't going to get out of the way in time. Her perfect, beautiful dress was going to be ruined. Adrien would be so disappointed. There was nothing she could do to stop it.

However, although Marinette hadn't reacted in time, Adrien had. He grabbed onto her shoulder and pulled her out of harm's way, catching her in his arms as she stumbled in her heels. Marinette looked up at Adrien. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

Adrien helped Marinette back up to her feet. "It was no problem, Marinette."

Lila's expression was consumed with fury at her scheme being foiled. In an instant, all of the menace in her face was wiped clean, replaced with guilt and remorse. "Oh, I'm so sorry Marinette. I'm so clumsy, my foot caught on the stairs. I hope you can forgive me for almost ruining your dress."

Marinette wouldn't be forgiving Lila anytime soon, but sometimes it was necessary to put on a performance. "No harm, no foul. Have fun with Clara Nightengale."

Lila tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace to Marinette. "I will. Don't you worry."

As soon as Lila was out of the door, Marinette released the breath she was holding. "I can't believe her."

Adrien sighed. "I can. Ever since she started modeling with me a few months ago, she's been incredibly possessive of me, to the point that I've caught her sabotaging her fellow models more than once. She's never been outright caught in the act, but she's grown a reputation in the modeling world. Still, my Father refuses to fire her."

"I didn't think that your Father would tolerate infighting."

"I didn't think so either, but he seems to be making quite a few exceptions for Lila Rossi. I wonder what lies she told him to get him on her side."

Adrien frowned. "I don't think she's fooling my Father. He's very skilled at reading people, and at manipulating them to do what he wants. I think he's using Lila to spy on me."

"Really?"

"I mean, I don't know for sure, but I can't think of another reason why he would make her a model."

"Adrien, Marinette," Oscar called out. "Get into position for the dancing photos."

"These are sure to be the last pictures of the day," noted Adrien. "Guess we'd better make them count."

All of the couples (as Oscar insisted on calling the pairs of students, even though a majority of them weren't dating) were instructed to do a simple box step, just so that Oscar could get shots of the outfits in motion. As they box-stepped in circles, Marinette and Adrien continued their conversation.

"So what are we going to do about Lila?" asked Marinette.

"I don't know. I've tried being nice, which didn't work at all. It took threatening her just to get her to get you unsuspended, but that still hasn't stopped her from being terrible to you. I don't know what else to try."

Marinette sighed. "We'll figure it out eventually. We might as well not ruin the end of the photoshoot thinking about Lila."

"You're right," Adrien agreed. "This is too fun to ruin."

His hand left her shoulder and instead grasped her hand as Adrien twirled Marinette. "Quit it!" Marinette giggled, "We're only supposed to be doing a box step."

"Keep that up, Adrien," Oscar advised. He circled them, the cameraman following him. "I want some action shots."

Adrien took Marinette's hand and twirled her. Marinette laughed as her tulle skirt twirled around her, tickling her legs.

"If every photoshoot was like this, I don't think I would mind being a model," said Adrien after they finished up. The cameras were being packed away, and the class was being herded back to the cars so that they could be driven back to the Gabriel building, to get changed.

"Today was wonderful," said Marinette. "And who knows, maybe someday I'll get another chance to model with you. For now, I think I'll treasure this one as my favorite photoshoot ever."

Marinette Dupain-Cheng  
@MariDesigns   
Who knew that modeling would be so much fun? Big shoutout to @AdrienAgreste for being by modeling partner today!  08:41 PM - 7 August 2019 17 93

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was more of an extended prologue than a chapter one. Expect fake-dating shenanigans to begin in the next chapter, which I have already finished writing and editing, and will post next week.


	2. #Adrinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twitter turns Adrinette into a trending twitter hashtag. Gabriel offers Marinette a deal she can't refuse. By the end of the day, Marinette and Adrien are fake dating, Marinette has been offered a position as an official Gabriel model, and Marinette is suddenly famous all over Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone likes the tweets as an added touch - I had to format each of them to html, which took a while.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng  
@MariDesigns   
Happy New Years! My New Year's Resolution is to experiment more with my designs. I want to go outside my comfort zone a little and see what I find.  12:14 AM - 1 January 2020 15 279

By the time the Gabriel catalog came out, Marinette had almost entirely forgotten about the photoshoot. So much had happened in the past five months, that the summer photo shoot was the last thing on her mind. Marinette and the rest of her class started their first year of lycée. Marinette designed and created a whole new wardrobe for herself and created an online store after some of her designs started getting attention. Nathanial and Marc finally started dating. Yet despite all these changes, so much had stayed the same. Adrien and Marinette were still _just friends_. Lila was still manipulating the class with her lies, and Adrien and Marinette still had no plan on how to stop her from lying.

Marinette spent her winter break designing, and it kept her so busy that she completely missed the Gabriel catalog drop. It wasn't until she got a phone call from Adrien at five o'clock on New Year's Day that she realized that the photos from their summer shoot had been released.

The phone rang while Marinette was in the middle of hand-stitching her dress for the upcoming girl's choice Valentine's Day dance. It wasn't for another month and a half, but Marinette knew once the new semester started, she would have no time to sew. Marinette answered her phone on the second ring, her caller ID telling her that it was Adrien who was calling. "Hey, Adrien," she greeted.

"Marinette!" Adrien exclaimed through the phone. "You haven't checked your twitter recently, have you?"

"No? Why?" Marinette was already logging on to twitter on her laptop, curious as to what had Adrien so frantic. Then she saw it: _#Adrinette is trending in your area_. "Oh. I'm going to call you back." Despite Adrien's protest, Marinette hung up the phone. She had some tweets to read.

It took twenty minutes of digging to find the original twitter thread that caused the catastrophe:

Laura ☀️  
@teenagedreamer   
@elichristine2001 @bisexualnightmarechild Has anyone else noticed that Adrien is standing next to the same girl in nearly every picture? Plus the way he looks at her is... interesting 10:23 AM - 1 January 2020 226 493

eli  
@elichristine2001   
I literally can’t unsee it now. he’s looking at her in EVERY picture. who is she?? are they dating?? can i be invited to the wedding?? 10:28 AM - 1 January 2020 234 470

✨cute dumpster fire ✨  
@bisexualnightmarechild   
OMG I found her name of the Gabriel website - Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her twitter and insta are both @MariDesigns 10:47 AM - 1 January 2020 251 497

Laura ☀️  
@teenagedreamer   
Marinette is a DESIGNER and Adrien is a MODEL - they HAVE to be dating. Plus they're in like a million pictures together on her insta!! He's never publicly dated anyone before because he's been dating Marinette 10:53 AM - 1 January 2020 277 503

✨cute dumpster fire ✨  
@bisexualnightmarechild   
I checked the Gabriel website and twitter to see if they had anything about Marinette/Adrien (Adrinette?) and they don't, which is ridiculous, because friends don't look at friends like that. There's love in Adrien's eyes, I can tell. 11:03 AM - 1 January 2020 266 519

eli  
@elichristine2001   
I'm starting a petition to have the Gabriel brand publicaly confirm #adrinette. @GabrielFashion we all know it's true, stop trying to hide this from Adrien's fans. change.org/make_adrinette_offical 11:48 AM - 1 January 2020 29,829 82,019

eli  
@elichristine2001   
I can't believe my petition change.org/make_adrinette_offical went viral!! 12,000 signatures in five hours!!! also #adrinette is trending, which is crazy!!! @GabrielFashion you can't ignore this. 5:08 PM - 1 January 2020 13,731 64,239

Gabriel Fashion  
@GabrielFashion   
We have recently released a statement regarding the privacy of Gabriel models Adrien Agreste. Please be respectful of both of their private lives. 05:47 PM - 1 January 2020 6,028 38,357

Marinette finally called Adrien back, half an hour after she hung up on him. He picked up on the first ring.

Marinette didn't hesitate in getting straight to the point. "What do we do about this?"

"Father already coordinated the PR Department to release a statement telling my fans to stop making inquiries into either of our personal lives. The next step is a little more complicated. Father would like for you and your family to come over for dinner so we can discuss it."

"What is there to discuss? Shouldn't we just tell everyone that we're not dating and be done with it."

Adrien hesitated. "It's complicated. I don't really approve but my Father insists that we at least discuss it."

"What is it?" asked Marinette, exasperated at the way he kept dodging around the point.

"My Father wants us to fake date," Adrien blurted out. "Which is a silly idea, I know, but he wouldn't listen to me." 

"Why does he want us to fake date?" Marinette was absolutely blindsided by this development. Of all the things Adrien could have said, fake dating was at the bottom of her list of possibilities, right under her secretly being a princess and an alien invasion.

"He thinks that it would be good publicity. I tried to convince him to just forget about it, but he's insisting that he speaks to you and your parents about it."

"Okay. What time should we come over?"

Marinette quickly got herself ready for dinner, picking out a dress made of midnight blue velvet, one of her own creations, for a commission that canceled on her when she was half-way through making the dress. Marinette had been furious at first, but she channeled that rage into turning the dress into something that she could wear herself and be proud of. She finished getting ready by braiding back her hair and putting on a light coat of makeup. That was the easy part.

The harder part was informing her parents of the situation, a task that took Marinette almost twenty minutes to fully explain. From the photoshoot over the summer that they vaguely remembered signing a permission slip for, to the catalog that came out that morning, the rumors and speculation that blew up on twitter, and the invitation to the Agreste Mansion - they had a lot of ground to cover. Sabine and Tom were both concerned, primarily for their daughter's safety.

"You haven't been harassed, have you?" asked Sabine.

"I haven't checked my DM's yet," Marinette admitted. "I'm just going to turn my account to private and ignore them. I'm sure people are saying terrible things about me, but I don't really care. It doesn't bother me that they're jealous of a relationship I'm not even in."

"If you see anything that does bother you, or if anything threatens you, make sure you report it," urged Sabine.

Marinette nodded. "I will."

"Marinette, can you finish closing up the bakery while Sabine and I get ready for dinner?" asked Tom.

"Yep." Marinette made her way down to the bakery and started tidying up. She put ingredients away, took leftover bread out of the display case, wiped down tables, swept the floor. The menial tasks soothed her overstimulated brain, allowing her a few minutes to process everything that had happened in the last hour. Once she finished cleaning, Marinette got out her phone and started mindlessly scrolled through twitter as she waited for her parents to get ready. There were a lot of opinions about her and Adrien's 'relationship', some of them better than others.

Adrinette OTP 💖  
@julieplatinum   
Scrolling through #Adrinette is my new hobby. Everyone sign the petition that @elichristine2001 created so that we can make adrinette official!!! change.org/make_adrinette_offical 01:43 PM - 1 January 2020 41 107

Future Zoe Agreste  
@Zoe4903   
@AdrienAgreste should date me instead of Marinette. I'm way prettier than her, plus she's barely even a model #Adrinette 02:18 PM - 1 January 2020 13 28

Leo  
@AuthentiacallyLeo   
I think #Adrinette is cute and all, but you guys might be taking this too far 2:27 PM - 1 January 2020 44 92

Sara Etienne  
@SaraEtienne   
It's literally the first day of 2020 and stan twitter has already crossed a line. @elichristine2001 should apologize for the unwanted attention she put on Marinette. It was bad enough when stan accounts harassed celebrities - harassing everyone who happens to get close to your celebrity crush is insane. You all should apologize for #Adrinette 02:32 PM - 1 January 2020 1,029 4,593

"Marinette, are you ready to go?"

"Yep." Marinette glanced up from her phone. Her parents were both dressed up for the dinner - Sabine in a dark green dress that Marinette had made for her mother to wear to a wedding six months ago, Tom in a suit with a matching dark green tie. "You both look nice," Marinette complimented.

"Only because I'm wearing your creation. Gabriel Agreste had better take note of your talent before he loses you to another fashion company."

The Agreste Mansion was only two blocks away, so Marinette and her parents walked there, rather than taking a taxi. The sidewalks were icy, and Marinette was glad that she chose to wear flats over heels. Breaking her ankle on the way to break up with her fake boyfriend would be enough to push Marinette over the edge. She already wanted to hole up in her room and never come out again, as it was.

The Dupain-Cheng family was welcomed into the Agreste Mansion by Nathalie, who gave Marinette a sympathetic smile. "I'm very sorry for the trouble that social media has been causing for you and Adrien."

Marinette shrugged her sympathy away. "It's certainly giving me some trouble, but it's not the end of the world. Once we get the word out that Adrien and I aren't dating, I'm sure the public will stop obsessing over it.

Nathalie's smile turned into a frown. "I must warn you, Mister Agreste is going to try to change your mind on the matter."

"Let him try. I've already made my decision."

"I admire your conviction, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Follow me, I'll take you all to the dining room."

The first thing Marinette noticed when she entered the dining room was the worried expression on Adrien's face. The second thing she noticed was the absolute lack of expression on Gabriel Agreste's face, though that seemed to be normal for him.

"Welcome to my home, Mrs. Dupain, Mr. Cheng, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng."

"Thank you for inviting us over," said Sabine.

"Were this about anything else, I would allow the pleasantries to go on. However, this pertains to the safety of our children, so why don't we get down to business."

Sabine nodded. "From what I understand, speculation has been circling the Internet about a relationship between Marinette and Adrien, due to the nature of the photos released in the 2020 Gabriel Catalog."

"Oscar Perrin, the director of the photoshoot, paired Adrien and Marinette up to be featured in photos together. The Internet has mistaken the pictures to mean that there is something more between the two of them."

Nathalie approached the table and set a Gabriel catalog down in from of Marinette's parents before taking her own seat. Marinette glanced over at the catalog, and in all honesty, she understood where the speculation had come from. Though her crush on Adrien had faded to almost nothing at the time of the photoshoot, there was a genuine fondness in both of their expressions.

"This is fairly incriminating evidence," Sabine noted as she flipped through the catalog. "It won't matter though, not once their lack of relationship is officially confirmed by your company."

"That's the part I brought you here to discuss. I do not want to publicly discourage the rumors. If anything, I would like to encourage them."

"Why?" Sabine narrowed her eyes, a look of distrust that Marinette very rarely saw on her mother.

"There is already a lot of attention around Marinette and Adrien dating, especially from people their age, the demographic that the Gabriel brand has been targeting for the past year. If their relationship is confirmed, and Marinette start showing up with Adrien at Gabriel function and appearing in photoshoots, it would be incredible advertising for the new lines of clothes we are releasing for young adults."

"I understand your motivations for keeping them together, but why should Marinette agree. She's already receiving harassment online, and the speculation has only been around for less than a day."

"Marinette is interested in fashion design, is she not?"

All eyes turned to Marinette, who gave a small nod of her head. "I am."

"The Gabriel company does not currently offer a lot of opportunities for young designers, but that could change. Should you and Adrien be in a relationship - fake or real, whatever you decide between the two of you - you would have access to all of Gabriel's resources. I could set up an internship with one of my top designers. Additionally, as a designer, you would begin your career in the fashion world with name recognition as a former model."

Hesitantly, Marinette interrupted. "Former modeling? I thought that I wound just be fake dating Adrien. I understand that I would be going to some functions with Adrien and being seen out in public with him, but how does modeling fit into this?"

"I want you to replace Lila Rossi. She has not endeared herself to Adrien's fanbase and has been causing more trouble than she's worth within the ranks of the Gabriel brand models. I had considered replacing her for quite some time and recently terminated her contract after I found out that there have been quite a few complaints lodged against her from both designers and her fellow models."

"That's... a lot to consider." Marinette didn't want to give her answer yet, because quite honestly, she didn't know whether or not she wanted what Gabriel Agreste was offering.

"I'm not requiring you to make a decision yet. However, until you make a decision I will not engage with any of the fans making speculations about the relationship between you and Adrien. Until you make a decision, the rumors will only increase. The longer we wait to engage with the media about this, the more difficult it will be to discourage speculation afterward, should that be the route you wish to take."

"We'll be giving Marinette all the time she needs to make her decision," Sabine said, her narrowed eyes staring down Gabriel, daring him to disagree with her.

"Of course," Gabriel agreed. "I'm just making sure that Marinette knows all of the possible consequences of her decision. It isn't one to be made lightly, after all."

"Hmm," Sabine didn't let up with her interrogating gaze. Marinette had faced it only a few times before in her life, times when Marinette lied to Sabine about important things. The most recent time Marinette had faced her mother's interrogation was when she tried to hide Lila's bullying from her parents. It had worked for a few weeks until Tom walked in on Marinette sobbing over her own helplessness in the face of Lila's lies. Her parents had called a family meeting and urged Marinette to tell them what had caused her breakdown, but it wasn't until Sabine started putting pressure on Marinette that she finally admitted the truth to her parents. Of course, they would have found out eventually, no matter what. Lila made sure of that when she framed Marinette for assault and theft, getting her suspended until Adrien forced Lila to reverse her lies and reverse Marinette's suspension.

As they ate dinner, making small talk that Marinette wasn't invested in, she weighed the pros and cons of her decision. There were certainly a lot of pros: making connections in the world of fashion, getting to model again, and especially, spending more time with Adrien. However, there were cons: lying to her friends about the relationship, being harassed online, dealing with Lila when she was certain to spin a story about how Marinette 'stole' her spot as a Gabriel model.

In the end, it was Adrien who was the reason behind what she chose. He caught her eye mid-way through the dinner and shot her a hopeful smile. Marinette hadn't gotten to spend much time with Adrien that school year - he was busy with modeling and fencing and she was busy with schoolwork, making commissions, designing her own clothes, babysitting Manon, her duties as class president, and above all, her responsibilities as Ladybug. Without her crush on Adrien pushing her to spend time with him, they only ever saw each other outside of class in group settings. It would be nice to spend some one-on-one time with Adrien, with her friend.

"I've made my decision," Marinette announced as soon as the dessert plates were taken away. "I will agree to go through with the fake relationship."

"A wise decision, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. I hope that we get to know each other better as your relationship with Adrien progresses," said Gabriel Agreste as he looked Marinette in the eyes.

Though his expressionless face was slightly off-putting, Marinette maintained eye contact with Gabriel and gave him a nod of acknowledgment. "I hope so too."

"One last thing before you leave. I must make sure that you are aware that you may not tell anyone about the nature of the relationship between you and Adrien. No one may know that it is fake - not even your friends."

"I understand."

"Good. Adrien will see you and your family out the door. Until next time." Gabriel exited the room swiftly, the sound of his footsteps fading away as he left the room.

"Sorry that he can be so... aloof, sometimes. I really do look forward to this. I think that it'll be fun to get to hang out with you more." Adrien's bright, hopeful smile reassured Marinette that she made the right decision. "Do you want to get together tomorrow to figure out all the details of our fake relationship?"

Marinette nodded, her own smile tentatively forming. "Sure. Meet me at the bakery?"

Adrien nodded. "It's a date." His wink revealed that it was just a joking quip. However, the tiny part of Marinette that still harbored a crush for Adrien absolutely jumped for joy at the words she never thought she'd hear him say to her. Marinette crushed that tiny part down as best she could - the beginning of a _fake_ relationship was not the place for her crush to reemerge.

Marinette fell into bed that night utterly exhausted by the day she had experienced. As she closed her eyes to fall asleep, she remembered one last important detail - she had forgotten to tell Tikki about everything that had transpired that day. _Crap_

Gabriel Fashion  
@GabrielFashion   
After consulting with Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the Gabriel brand has been given permission to release a further update on the status of their relationship. The two Gabriel models would like it to be known that they are in a relationship with each other 07:00 AM - 2 January 2020 34,920 92,382

eli  
@elichristine2001   
@GabrielFashion Thank you for finally confirming! Congrats everyone, #Adrinette is official 9:49 AM - 2 January 2020 45,382 102,928


	3. Cover Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien assemble a cover story. Marinette and Alya discuss the relationship between Adrien and Marinette, though only one of them knows that it's fake.

Lila Rossi ♡  
@LilaRose   
While I'm devastated to have lost the opportunity to model for @GabrielFashion, I'm grateful for the opportunity I was given. I'm excited to see what this new phase of my life brings, and I wish all the best to my replacement @ MariDesigns 09:22 AM - 2 January 2020  54  283 

"Tikki, I have some news to share." Marinette brought up the morning after she agreed to fake date Adrien. Tikki had spent the whole day prior recharging after a nasty New Year's Eve akuma attack and had entirely missed the events of the day before, including but not limited to: the speculation of her and Adrien dating due to the release of the Gabriel catalog, the invitation to the Agreste Mansion to discuss what to do about the situation, Gabriel Agreste wanting Marinette to fake date his son, and Marinette _agreeing_ to start a fake relationship with Adrien.

"What's happening?" asked Tikki.

"It's kind of a long story." As Marinette explained the events of the past day, she watched as Tikki's eyes grew wider and wider.

"You mean to tell me that you started a fake relationship with Adrien _without_ telling me?"

"It all happened so fast," Marinette defended. "Plus, there are a lot of upsides to the fake relationship. I get a leg up in the fashion world _and_ I get to spend more time with Adrien. It's a win/win."

"In order for the rake relationship to work, you have to lie to your friends," Tikki's tone was explicitly disapproving. "How does that make you better than Lila?"

"I'm not lying to them to manipulate them. I'm lying to them because I made a promise to Adrien's Father."

"I still think this is a terrible idea. Alya and Nino will be furious when they find out that you and Adrien were lying to them."

"They'll understand when I explain to them that it was a condition of the fake relationship."

"I still think that there are better, more legitimate, ways in which you could advance your career in the fashion industry _and_ get to spend more time with Adrien. You shouldn't have to lie to achieve those goals. You're taking the easy way out."

Marinette sighed. "Maybe I am taking the easy way out, but for the longest time, I've been taking the more difficult high road while it seems like everyone around me gets everything handed right to them. I deserve to have something nice happen to me that I didn't have to painstakingly work for."

Tikki was silent for a moment before replying, "I hope for your sake that this all works out. I'm just worried that you or Adrien or the people around you are going to get hurt because of this."

Marinette nodded, satisfied with the impasse that their conversation had reached. As long as she wasn't arguing with Tikki, she could live with a little bit of disappointment.

A few minutes later, Marinette's phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Alya, who had likely just seen the Gabriel tweet. Marinette had ignored all of Alya's texts the previous day, too overwhelmed to properly respond to them. She sent Alya a text right before she went to bed telling her best friend that they would talk tomorrow. Tomorrow had come, and she had a lot of explaining to do. Marinette accepted the call.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Are you really dating Adrien?" Alya exclaimed through the phone.

"Technically, yes. We are dating right now."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me! How long has this been going on?"

Marinette took a deep, calming breath. "I know that our relationship came out of nowhere. It's a long story, and I'm too tired right now to tell it. I've been up all night going through my twitter mentions, blocking all the accounts that sent me harassing or threatening messages. Plus, my family had dinner with Adrien and his Father last night and Monsieur Agreste is a bit intimidating so I was on edge all evening long." said Marinette. It was a weak excuse, but she needed Alya to give her and Adrien the time to create a proper lie.

"Are you okay?" asked Alya, concern flooding her voice.

"It's been overwhelming, but overall, I'm okay with what happened. I just wish I had been given a little time to prepare myself."

"Well, how about you take a nap, and when you wake up you can call me back and explain everything," Alya offered.

"Thanks, Alya. You're the best." Marinette hung up the phone and set out a long sigh. Marinette didn't enjoy lying to Alya, and her discomfort was exacerbated over the fact that the relationship lie wasn't even necessary. When Marinette lied for Ladybug reasons, she never felt guilty because those lies protected her friends and family. Lying about dating Adrien was lying for her _own_ benefit, to protect her own reputation and further her own career.

"You've got to get better at lying if you're going to survive this fake relationship," said Tikki.

Marinette nodded. "It'll be easier once Adrien and I get our story straight."

"Your lies better improve, or Lila will figure you out in an instant. Liars like her are skilled at sniffing out others' lies."

"Speaking of Lila, Adrien and I need to figure out a way to protect ourselves from her. Now that she's lost both her job as a Gabriel model and her chances of dating Adrien, she's bound to try and get revenge. I don't want to be caught up in her web of lies."

At that moment, Marinette heard her mother's voice call out. "Marinette! Adrien is here. I'm sending him up to your room."

Marinette pulled the trapdoor open and Adrien climbed up into her bedroom, a plate of croissants in hand. "Your parents told me to bring some food up for us to share."

"Thanks," Marinette grabbed a croissant off of the plate and bit into it, savoring the warm, buttery flavor.

"I guess we should start figuring out this fake dating situation. Our first order of business, we need a story for how we started dating," said Adrien.

"How about, when you saw that we were trending on twitter, you called me to apologize for all the unwanted attention. During that call, I asked you if you were ashamed of the speculation. You assured me that you would never be ashamed of the thought of us dating, and that gave me the confidence to ask you out on a date." 

"Could it be that easy? Would anyone believe that?"

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, it'll be pretty convincing."

"How?"

"Well, I had a crush on you for most of collège," Marinette admitted, trying to stop the blush from overtaking her face. "Nobody will be surprised that I was willing to begin a relationship with you."

"Really?"

Marinette nodded. "Everyone from our class knew about my crush, so it won't be very hard to convince them that I asked you out."

"Wow. I never noticed." Adrien looked stunned, as if it was impossible to imagine that Marinette could have ever had a crush on him. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Marinette shrugged. "You never seemed interested in a relationship with me. I was certain that you and Kagami were going to start dating, and I didn't want to spoil whatever you had with her. In the end, I didn't want to ruin our friendship by trying to turn it into anything more."

Adrien looked appeased by Marinette's explanation. "Well, that takes care of our cover story."

"Now we have to figure out what to do about Lila. She's not going to be happy that I took her spot as a Gabriel model. I suspect she'll try to frame me as having "stole" her job from her."

"I can take care of that," said Adrien. "She was fired on December 31st and I have proof of that, as I texted her to comfort her that morning when I found out. You weren't even in the running to take her place until after the speculation started, which was the morning of the 1st. She can lie all she wants, we have solid evidence on our side."

Marinette nodded. "I hope that your evidence is enough to keep her from spreading her nasty rumors around the school."

"Don't worry, I'll be on your side no matter what happens."

Marinette smiled. "That's good to know."

Adrien smiled back at Marinette. "So we've taken care of the cover story and the Lila issue. Do you have any more concerns?"

Marinette shook her head. "Nothing that you could fix. I wish that we didn't have to lie to Alya and Nino. It feels wrong to tell them a cover story. They're our friends, they deserve to know the truth."

Adrien deflated. "I'm upset about that too. I tried to convince my Father that Alya and Nino are trustworthy individuals, but he says that if anyone finds out, you'll be fired as a Gabriel model and any opportunities that you've gained from your connection to the Gabriel brand will be severed."

"We'll find a way to get through it."

Adrien nodded. "No matter what happens, we'll support each other. We're a team now. We're partners."

At the utterance of the word 'partners', Marinette couldn't help but think of her partner Chat Noir, who bore a striking resemblance to Adrien. Marinette tried to ignore the thoughts. No sense in daydreaming about Chat when she was in the middle of negotiating a fake relationship with her former crush. 

"Do you want to do something fun?" asked Marinette. "We could play some video games or watch a movie."

"Sure. Let's turn this into a real fake-date."

They went downstairs and sat on the couch next to each other, watching some generic action movie. It was hard to stay focused on the plot when Marinette couldn't stop thinking about all the ways her life had gone crazy over the past few years. For all of primary school, she was one of the most normal students in her class. Then she started collège, became a superhero, and started crushing on a professional model. After her graduation from collège, she got involved in a professional photoshoot, which led to her potential relationship with said model crush being turned into an internet sensation. Now, she was fake dating a famous model who was also one of her best friends, she was a model for one of the most prestigious fashion brands in the world, and there was the possibility that she would get to work alongside the designers who inspired her passion for design in the first place. 

"So what all are we going to have to do, as part of this fake relationship scheme?" asked Marinette during a particularly dull part of the movie.

Adrien shrugged. "A lot of different things. There will be the photoshoots, where we'll be expected to have a certain amount of physical intimacy - touching, holding hands, making a lot of eye contact. That way, the photos taken there will convey that we're very close. We'll go to events together - fashion shows, high society galas, charity events. Before every event, I'll explain everything you need to know so that you aren't confused about anything. Other than that, just little everyday things to convince everyone that our relationship is real - kissing, holding hands, going to each other houses, spending time together outside of school and work."

"Okay." Marinette mulled over what Adrien just told her. Intellectually, she knew what being in a relationship entailed. She had third-wheeled on many of Alya and Nino's dates. However, she had never really considered that she would do that with someone someday. Even when her crush on Adrien was strongest, she was always concerned with coming up with a plan to confess her feelings to him, rather than coming up with a plan for what they would do once they actually started dating. The thought of kissing Adrien, of holding his hand, of spending time with him, made her heart flutter. At that moment, Marinette realized that her crush on Adrien wasn't as crushed as she had thought it was.

Adrien left as soon as the movie was over, saying goodbye to Marinette and thanking her for the bag of cookies she pressed into his hands as he left the bakery. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then whispered into her ear. "There's a girl at a table by the window taking pictures. Pretend that I whispered something sweet into your ear."

Marinette blushed slightly and pasted a soft smile onto her face. "Like this," she whispered back, pressing a soft kiss onto his lips.

Adrien smiled. "Exactly."

"Enjoy your cookies."

Adrien left the bakery. Marinette wistfully watched him leave, trying to figure out if she was elated that she kissed him for the first time or horrified that her first kiss was a ruse. In the end, she figured that it didn't matter. Adrien Agreste was her first kiss, and that was what counted. What happened, happened. Marinette wasn't going to live in the. past, not when she had so much to look forward to in the future. Marinette went back up to her room, a hopeful smile growing on her face as she imagined all the opportunities she had to look forward to: photoshoots with Adrien by her side, on-on-one talks with famous designers, a foot into the fashion world before she even left lycée. 

Marinette's phone started ringing as she entered her bedroom. It was Alya calling, obviously trying to get some answers as to what had transpired over the past two days.

"Hello!" Marinette chirped.

"Marinette! I've given you a few hours to relax and recuperate, and I was going to give you a little while longer, but then I checked my twitter and saw a picture of you kissing Adrien at the bakery and I couldn't help but call you. Tell me everything!"

Marinette relayed the cover story to Alya, who was hanging onto her every word. It was a solid cover, Marinette had to admit. The sudden, unprompted nature of the rise in speculation over their relationship meant that it made perfect sense that Marinette would do something impulsive - she always responded to crazy situations with an even crazier response. The fact that Gabriel Agreste fired Lila before the Gabriel catalog even dropped meant that Marinette had complete deniability as to being involved in her termination from the company. And as for Marinette and Adrien getting together - Alya never believed that Marinette had gotten over her crush (Marinette now knew that Alya was right about that).

"That's pretty crazy," said Alya, once Marinette had finished explaining. "I always thought that you two would end up together, but I never imagined that it would go like this."

"I'm just as surprised as you are," replied Marinette. That was the truth. Marinette never could have guessed the events of the past few days. After all, no one except for celebrities would expect that they would be a trending topic on twitter.

"I hope that everything works out between you and Adrien. There's a lot of pressure on you right now. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Marinette shrugged. "As long as I keep my twitter account on private and block any mean comments, I should be fine. I'm sure everyone will get bored of Adrinette as soon as some new piece of celebrity gossip emerges. 

"I'm not so sure about that," Alya replied. "Lila got messages all the time about whether she and Adrien were dating. There's a whole subsection of twitter dedicated to fans of Adrien. They call themselves Adristans and have whole accounts devoted to him. It's actually kind of creepy to see, especially since I know Adrien in real life."

Marinette frowned. She was already feeling hesitant about her decision, especially after checking her twitter. #Adrinette was no longer trending, but there were still thousands of tweets about her that Marinette didn't have the time or energy to read. "His hardcore fans might still care, but pretty soon everyone will forget that it was a trending hashtag."

"Still, I don't envy you." There was a note of concern in Alya's voice. "Everyone at school saw the tweets, and a lot of those tweets weren't very nice. I happen to think that you're very pretty, but some of Adrien's fans didn't agree."

"I'm not going to let it bother me. I don't care about what Adrien's fans think," decided Marinette.

"I hope that you and Adrien can make it work."

"I hope so too. I've missed getting to spend time with him, but now that we'll be modeling together we'll finally get to hang out more."

"About that..." Alya's voice trailed off. "Lila isn't taking it well, that you were chosen to be her replacement."

"I promise I didn't replace her on purpose. I didn't even know that she had been fired until Mr. Agreste was in the middle of offering me the job, and at that point, the damage had already been done. I had already been exposed to the spotlight, so I figured I might as well just roll with it," Marinette rushed to get the words out.

"Relax, I don't blame you. It's just, Lila might be a little cold towards you after this."

Marinette had plenty of experience with Lila being cold towards her. Lila would surely continue her schemes, but as long as it didn't affect her relationships with her friends, Marinette didn't care what terrible things Lila said about her. "Do you think that I should talk to her."

"No. Lila's pretty upset. She would probably lash out at you. I would keep your distance from her for the next few weeks."

Marinette could help the smile that spread over her face. Finally, she had a proper excuse to avoid interaction with Lila. "Okay. I'll keep my distance."

"Good. By the way, you and Adrien should come on a double date with Nino and me next Friday night. We're going to see that new superhero movie that just came out."

"Sure, I'll see if Adrien is free that night."

"I have to go, Ella and Etta need help with homework. Bye, Marinette."

"Bye, Alya."

Marinette hung up the phone, then did a happy dance around her bedroom. She managed to convince Alya that her and Adrien's relationship was real _and_ she finally had an excuse to stay away from Lila. Her life had never been so perfect. What more could she ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last update for a while, because I'm currently working on an original work.


End file.
